Why Babylonian Names for Jewish Months?

In the pre-Babylonian era, we find in the Scriptures only four months on the calendar that are identified by name:

The first month (Nissan): Aviv1
The second month (Iyar): Ziv2
The seventh month (Tishrei): Eitanim3
The eighth month (Cheshvan): Bul4

The other months were just known by their place in the calendar—e.g., third month, fourth month—starting from the first month: first by virtue of the fact that it is the month when our nation left Egypt, the month when we became a nation.

(Apparently, even the four months that had names were more often than not referred to by their numeric place on the calendar, with the names serving as secondary titles accompanying their numbers.)

The Jerusalem Talmud5 tells us that the modern names of the months “came up [to Israel] with [the returnees] from Babylon,” at the onset of the second Jewish commonwealth, approximately 350 BCE.6

So, why did we begin to use these names? Why didn’t we stick with the biblical practice of referring to months by their number?

Nachmanides7 suggests that this is consistent with Jeremiah’s prophecy: “Therefore, behold days are coming, says G‑d, and it shall no longer be said [by one who wishes to pronounce an oath], ‘As G‑d lives, who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ but rather, ‘As G‑d lives, who brought up the children of Israel from the north land [Babylon] . . .’”8

The original system was to count months in numeric order, starting from Nissan. Thus, any time a person mentioned a month, he was in effect recalling the exodus from Egypt: we are in, say, the sixth month—six months since the month of the Exodus.9 Thus, the numeric naming served as a constant reminder of our deliverance from Egypt.

After we were delivered from Babylonian captivity, however, we started using the names that we became used to using in Babylon. And now, these names served to remind us that G‑d has redeemed us from this second exile.

I Kings 8:2. Literally, “strong ones,” so called because the ripe fruit are at the height (strength) of their goodness. (Our sages [Talmud, Rosh Hashanah 11a] attribute the names Ziv and Eitanim to the births of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—the radiant and strong ones—in these months.)

While many maintain that the names are actually taken from the Babylonian tongue, the Rebbe maintains (Likkutei Sichot, vol. 23, pp. 214ff) that it is likely that many (if not all of) these names are actually Hebrew, but that the practice of calling months by names instead of their numeric position on the calendar originated in Babylon.
See also Tammuz—Time for Transformation.

For similar reason, Nachmanides argues, we have no names for the days of the week. Sunday is called “the First Day,” Monday is “the Second Day,” and so on—because we are constantly counting down to the Shabbat. Every time we mention the day of the week—any day of the week—we are fulfilling the divine precept (Exodus 20:8) to always “remember the Shabbat day to keep it holy.”

Rabbi Menachem Posner serves as staff editor at Chabad.org, the world’s largest Jewish informational website. He has been writing, researching, and editing for Chabad.org since 2006, when he received his rabbinic degree from Central Yeshiva Tomchei Temimin Lubavitch. He resides in Chicago, Ill., with his family.

I also wondered about that, but if you Google a map for the Babylonian empire you can see the majority of the empire is North of Israel.
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David YerushalayimJanuary 19, 2018

Hebrew names before and after the Babylonian exile
The names of the months of the Hebrew calendar are holy and have deep mystical meanings. They were however not used by every Israelite, Only the elders and the prophets knew them. However, after the end of the Babylonian domination and exile the holy men of the Nation of Israel decided it was time that everyone should use these names. We did not adopt them from the pagans. The Hebrew calendar is our heritage.

Bnei Yissachar is a great source of knowledge on the Hebrew months.
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AmichaiEretz Yisraelvia jewishmississauga.orgSeptember 5, 2017

This question bothered me for years. I found a brilliant answer in the Ramban on Parshas Bo (Shemos 12:2). The verse is about Nisan as month 1, the Ramban says we refer to the months as 1,2,3,etc to remember the miracle of the exodus. Similar to the weekdays, we call by numbers in relation to Shabbos. The number system is not ordering the months of the of the year-Tishrei is the 1st month of the year (וחג האסיף תקופת השנה), rather it is putting the exodus at the focal point.

Regarding the names of the months we brought from Babylon, originally we didn't have names for the months, because we just numbered them from the exodus, however, when we came from up Babylon, we fulfilled the verse in Jeremiah 16:14-15 which says, "It will no longer be said, 'Alive is the G-d that took up Israel from Egypt', rather, 'Alive is the G-d that took up Israel from the North'" so we used those months to remember we were there and G-d brought us up. Thus, we remember the second redemption as the first.
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YahqubPensacolaDecember 3, 2016

Why do Hebrew months have pagan names
With all due respect Rav, I think that's a poor excuse to continue to use pagan names; being reminded of what got one in a dire predicament is a great way, to keep one from repeating the same mistake, imho ... that's kind of one of our main problems ie, re-inventing the wheel...
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Eliezer Zalmanovfor Chabad.orgNovember 7, 2016

Actually, the name Tammuz comes from the Aramaic word "heat," and it is connected to the heat of the summer months. The source for the pagan deity with that name comes from people offering fire, similar to the heat of the summer.
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laura new jerseyJanuary 18, 2018

in response to Eliezer Zalmanov:

I’m sure the ancient Egyptians didn’t differentiate the sun from Ra. It doesn’t mean we should call the sun Ra.
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JackOctober 31, 2016

Heshvan?
It's not called Heshvan and we add the Mar because it's sad that it has no holidays. It's called Marheshvan because this is the Babylonian name for Eighth (שון = שמיני) Moon/Month (מרח/ירח).

Also interesting to note, the name Elul means Harvest (end of summer/harvest season). Tammuz - was the name of a Babylonian deity, etc.
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Simcha BartAugust 8, 2016

Av in Hebrew means father. Please see chabad.org/1904785 for the inner meaning why this month is known by the word "father."

Meaning of Av
Does Av mean fire? Where can I get the meaning of the word?
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Beryl BoanergesMarch 24, 2015

third month is Sivan
Then were the king's scribes called at that time in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language. Esther 8:9
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ChanahOctober 6, 2014

Thank you!
Wow, than you so much, I was very confused about this! Unfortunately, non-Jewish sources love to say that these babylonian month names indicate that Judaism evolved from a Babylonian religion, but not so!
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GershonJune 11, 2013

To Yankel
Both Zecharia and Esther were written after we went to Babylon.
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will we go back to months from leaving mitzrayim?
thank you for this very fine article. does anyone still use the numeric system?Why don't we go back to that system? the use of these names ..how could it be healthy for us?
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fabkft laud, flJune 6, 2011

to Daniel
indeed it would be better to use the names september, october, november, and december, since they mean 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th. and do not refer to any pagan deity! the interesting part i find is that those months of the High Holidays, G-d never allowed them to be named otherwise, even if they do not correspond exactly to the date, they cover the whole time so that no pagan god's name is pronounced. unfortunately it is not so for the days of the week in most countries. in portugal, and brazil, they use 1st, 2d, 3rd to 6th, then Sabado (shabbat)! and no pagan god's name at all. an improvement! i think in the orient also. thai, chinese. don't quote me!
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LillyOcala, FL USAApril 14, 2011

Babylonian name of the months
I don't believe using the names of pagan deities serves to remind us of our second exodus, I believe it serves to show how we became influenced by paganism...Hashem told us that the names of other G-Ds should never be found on our lips! We need to abolish these pagan names and return to the biblical numbering of the months except for the original four names! Stop sugar coating...Lilly
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SusanCA USAAugust 23, 2017

in response to Lilly:

Add a comment...My understanding of when a name of a month is mentioned it is in writings that were written during & after the Babylonian captivity & the numeric value is always mentioned along with the Babylonian name also. Living in Babylon they pick up Babylonian ways-many of those returning only knew Babylonian ways & now they were returning to the land YHWH gave them & to His ways so they were having to unlearn & relearn many things. You can take the boy out of the country but it is hard to take the country out of the boyReply